CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific men's water polo opened their third tournament this season on Friday. The Gary Troyer Tournament featured FPU dropping two matches as they fell to Whittier 13-9 and 21-14 against Occidental.
 
GAME 1
QUOTABLE
"I was happy with our performance against Whittier. We had a game plan that was well executed. There was a lot of improvement from the first time we played them. The guys did a good job controlling the pace of the game." – head coach Bryan Suhovy.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After falling 2-0 to start, FPU clawed their way back into the game in the second quarter, scoring three straight goals to grab a 4-3 lead with 4:35 left in the half.
• Whittier tied the contest at four before the half, then came out of the half on a roll, scoring five straight goals to grab a 9-4 lead with just under five minutes left in the third.
• Thilo Popp, Bodhi Bowden, and Nikita Kravstov responded for the Sunbirds with a goal apiece, with Kravstov's cutting the lead to 9-7 as the third quarter buzzer sounded.
• The Poets controlled the fourth and never let FPU get within striking distance down the stretch.

STATS FROM THE MATCH

• The Blue & Orange finished with 28 shots in the game, Whittier had 31.
• Whittier grabbed eight steals compared to FPU's two.
• Thilo Popp led the Sunbirds with four goals, Bodhi Bowden finished with two.

GAME 2
QUOTABLE
"We just struggled to show up mentally in the first quarter. In the second quarter, we stepped up and started to play but at that point, we gave them too big of a lead. We closed the gap to three goals at one point, but by that time we couldn't sustain the level of energy needed to finish. Our defense struggled that game as well. We must take more pride in our defense. The guys know that are ready for tomorrow." – head coach Bryan Suhovy. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sunbirds found themselves in a hole early against the Tigers, trailing 7-1 at the end of the first quarter.
• Ethan McLaughlin and Bowden scored consecutive goals to close out the first half, but the Birds were down 12-5 at halftime.
• Bowden opened the second half with a goal and added another with 5:06 left in the third quarter.
• In the final 6:32 of the match, FPU went on a 6-3 run, featuring three more goals from Bowden.

STATS FROM THE MATCH

• Bowden led the Birds with six goals on 12 shots while adding a team-high three steals to his stat line.
• William Green had a strong match for the Sunbirds, scoring four goals while dishing out an assist. He added two steals defensively.
• Clay Maroney was in goal, making seven saves against the Tigers.

UP NEXT

• The Gary Troyer Tournament continues tomorrow as the Blue and Orange battle McKendree at 9 a.m. and #6 Long Beach State at 12:45 p.m.

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